The prior art discloses a variety of portable devices for emitting light comprising one or more light sources and a lens or other means for focusing or diffusing the light. Typically, such prior art devices are limited to one of two general applications: a first application such as a flashlight where the light source is focused, intensified and collimated along a general axis; and a second application such as a safety beacon where the light source is diffused such that the device is visible from a variety of directions.
One drawback of such prior art devices is that a device adapted to a first application is unsuitable for the other application, that is flashlights and the like generally do not make good beacons and beacons and the like are generally unsuitable where a focused light source is required.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, the prior art discloses diffusers and the like which can, for example, be attached to a flashlight in order to diffuse the light. However such diffusers constitute an additional piece or part which must be attached to the flashlight, typically absorb a fair amount of the light generated by the light source and are still not visible over a sufficiently wide angle to be suitable for many applications where a safety beacon or the like is called for. This is particularly the case when LEDs are used as the light emitted from the LED is already greatly collimated.